The Fort Worth Press - Unseeded Wang stuns world champion Yamaguchi to win Asia title

USD -
AED 3.673042
AFN 68.266085
ALL 93.025461
AMD 389.644872
ANG 1.80769
AOA 912.000367
ARS 1001.795932
AUD 1.547988
AWG 1.795
AZN 1.70397
BAM 1.85463
BBD 2.025224
BDT 119.861552
BGN 1.854725
BHD 0.376464
BIF 2962.116543
BMD 1
BND 1.344649
BOB 6.930918
BRL 5.79695
BSD 1.002987
BTN 84.270352
BWP 13.71201
BYN 3.282443
BYR 19600
BZD 2.02181
CAD 1.41005
CDF 2865.000362
CHF 0.888255
CLF 0.035345
CLP 975.269072
CNY 7.232504
CNH 7.23645
COP 4499.075435
CRC 510.454696
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 104.561187
CZK 23.965904
DJF 178.606989
DKK 7.07804
DOP 60.43336
DZD 133.184771
EGP 49.296856
ERN 15
ETB 121.465364
EUR 0.94835
FJD 2.27595
FKP 0.789317
GBP 0.792801
GEL 2.73504
GGP 0.789317
GHS 16.022948
GIP 0.789317
GMD 71.000355
GNF 8643.497226
GTQ 7.746432
GYD 209.748234
HKD 7.785504
HNL 25.330236
HRK 7.133259
HTG 131.85719
HUF 387.22504
IDR 15898.3
ILS 3.749604
IMP 0.789317
INR 84.47775
IQD 1313.925371
IRR 42092.503816
ISK 137.650386
JEP 0.789317
JMD 159.290693
JOD 0.709104
JPY 154.31504
KES 129.894268
KGS 86.503799
KHR 4051.965293
KMF 466.575039
KPW 899.999621
KRW 1395.925039
KWD 0.30754
KYD 0.835902
KZT 498.449576
LAK 22039.732587
LBP 89819.638708
LKR 293.025461
LRD 184.552653
LSL 18.247689
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.898772
MAD 9.999526
MDL 18.224835
MGA 4665.497131
MKD 58.423024
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999946
MOP 8.042767
MRU 40.039827
MUR 47.210378
MVR 15.450378
MWK 1739.225262
MXN 20.34515
MYR 4.470504
MZN 63.903729
NAD 18.247689
NGN 1665.820377
NIO 36.906737
NOK 11.089039
NPR 134.832867
NZD 1.705757
OMR 0.384524
PAB 1.002987
PEN 3.80769
PGK 4.033
PHP 58.731504
PKR 278.485894
PLN 4.096724
PYG 7826.086957
QAR 3.656441
RON 4.725204
RSD 110.944953
RUB 99.872647
RWF 1377.554407
SAR 3.756134
SBD 8.390419
SCR 13.840372
SDG 601.503676
SEK 10.978604
SGD 1.343704
SHP 0.789317
SLE 22.603667
SLL 20969.504736
SOS 573.230288
SRD 35.315504
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.776255
SYP 2512.529858
SZL 18.240956
THB 34.842038
TJS 10.692144
TMT 3.51
TND 3.164478
TOP 2.342104
TRY 34.419038
TTD 6.810488
TWD 32.476804
TZS 2667.962638
UAH 41.429899
UGX 3681.191029
UYU 43.042056
UZS 12838.651558
VES 45.732111
VND 25390
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.791591
XAF 622.025509
XAG 0.033067
XAU 0.00039
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.755583
XOF 622.025509
XPF 113.090892
YER 249.875037
ZAR 17.226455
ZMK 9001.203587
ZMW 27.537812
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    61.8400

    61.84

    +100%

  • BCC

    -0.2600

    140.09

    -0.19%

  • SCS

    -0.0400

    13.23

    -0.3%

  • AZN

    -1.8100

    63.23

    -2.86%

  • NGG

    0.3800

    62.75

    +0.61%

  • CMSC

    0.0200

    24.57

    +0.08%

  • CMSD

    0.0822

    24.44

    +0.34%

  • BCE

    -0.0200

    26.82

    -0.07%

  • RIO

    0.5500

    60.98

    +0.9%

  • GSK

    -0.6509

    33.35

    -1.95%

  • RELX

    -1.5000

    44.45

    -3.37%

  • JRI

    0.0235

    13.1

    +0.18%

  • BTI

    0.9000

    36.39

    +2.47%

  • VOD

    0.0900

    8.77

    +1.03%

  • RYCEF

    0.0400

    6.82

    +0.59%

  • BP

    -0.0700

    28.98

    -0.24%

Unseeded Wang stuns world champion Yamaguchi to win Asia title
Unseeded Wang stuns world champion Yamaguchi to win Asia title / Photo: © AFP

Unseeded Wang stuns world champion Yamaguchi to win Asia title

Unseeded Wang Zhiyi withstood a late fightback from world champion Akane Yamaguchi to record a stunning victory in the women's final of the Badminton Asia Championships on Sunday.

Text size:

Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia took the men's title with a 21-17, 23-21 win over Indonesia's Jonatan Christie -- then tore off his sweaty top and hurled it into the Manila crowd in celebration.

China's Wang, ranked 16th in the world, needed treatment on a back injury but hung on to beat the Japanese top seed and defending champion Yamaguchi 15-21, 21-13, 21-19 in 78 minutes of pulsating action that had the raucous crowd rocking.

"I think it's something I couldn't have imagined because before the competition everyone including myself didn't think that I could achieve these results," the 22-year-old said after winning the biggest title of her young career.

"This was a very difficult match because my opponent is a world-class athlete, but I think I was in the right frame of mind to battle her.

"My goal is to win every competition so I hope I can keep up with these better performances, be resolute and work harder."

As in her semi-final win Saturday over second seed An Se-young of South Korea, Wang had to recover from the loss of the opening game.

After levelling the match, the up-and-coming Chinese player looked to be heading for a comfortable victory as she raced into a 16-5 lead in the decider, before nerves and her niggling back kicked in to give Yamaguchi a lifeline.

The Japanese player used all her experience to claw her way back as Wang began to make unforced errors and Yamaguchi levelled at 19-19 after a lung-bursting 30-shot rally.

But Wang, who moments earlier had needed attention from the trainer at the side of the court, summoned up reserves of energy and forced Yamaguchi to go long to set up a first championship point.

Another marathon rally followed, but when Yamaguchi netted, Wang collapsed on her back in exhaustion and elation as she became Asian champion for the first time.

The men's final was a more straightforward affair with third-seeded Lee mostly in control throughout against Christie, the fourth seed.

Christie fought back in the second game but failed to nail two game points, the 24-year-old Lee sealing the title on his first championship point when his opponent fired wide on a forehand.

The Indonesian challenged the out call but a video review confirmed it and Lee collapsed on his back, before tearing off his top and hurling it into the crowd, followed by his racquet.

On a good day for badminton superpower China, they also won the mixed doubles and women's doubles crowns.

J.Ayala--TFWP